When Judy and I founded the practice we choose a koala for our mascot and named her Kimberly. Her image was captured by the artist who painted our children’s immersion mural on the walls of our original suite. During our founding years we also published a physical newsletter, one of whose standing items was Kimberly’s Corner. The latter provided insight into the inner workings of Creative. Imagine Kimberly up in her tree looking down and listening and then reporting.

Koala Facts: Koalas can only live in one place in the world, Australia. The koala only eats Eucalyptus leaves and it eats so many leaves, it smells like the leaves. The koala hops from tree to tree and climbs the trees to get the leaves. The koala will eat 2.5 pounds of food a day.

Kimberly’s Corner

I’m glad Richie is letting me publish again since I have a lot to share. We all love Richie but often he uses big words and long sentences and it’s hard to understand him. It’s not his fault and probably best that you don’t tell him what I just said. I don’t want to hurt his feelings.

Speaking of big words, I’m sure you’ve seen Creative’s tag line. How could you not? It’s everywhere including the top of this newsletter. Six words, 21 syllables, 67 characters including 2 em-dashes and a trade mark symbol. Well, despite its being kind of stuffy, the Creative team follows it, and you’ll see that from some of my columns, including this one.
Today I’m going to tell you about the One O’clock. Every day the Creative Team meets from one to two o’clock to discuss the day’s afternoon clients and the next day’s morning clients. They also discuss new clients, issues with any clients, new therapy techniques, new programs, ideas for new programs, and ways they can improve. That last thing Judy calls in-servicing and I know that sounds boring but it’s really interesting.

Anyway the first thing they do at the One O’ clock is room assignment. Not only do they make sure each client has the best possible room but they also talk about transitions and sometimes even getting two clients to informally interact to help their social development. After room assignment and client discussion the team sometimes talks about other cool stuff. The other day Danielle taught everyone about AAC—Augmentative and Alternative Communication. It was really interesting in spite of its scary name.

Not only does the team talk together during the One O’clock, but I see them doing that all during the day. And it’s really interesting to listen to them.

Anyway, I found out recently that Richie knows about the talking together and even encourages it. But of course he has to use big words to describe it, saying Creative has institutionalized collaboration. A true Richie phrase: two words, 11 syllables, and he wonders why people don’t understand him.

Well, it’s time to go. For today, there are two things that I want to ask of you. First, I don’t mind if you tell your therapist that you read my column. In fact, I often feel like the therapists don’t even see me or know I exist, so telling them would be good. Second, don’t tell Richie what I say about him. If he starts using regular size words and normal expressions then it won’t be as much fun.

It’s an interesting, intoxicating juxtaposition of complimentary emotions: It allows us, as children of any age, to be both scared and safe at the same time. It allows us to be pretend serious, feeling what it’s like to be in danger while at the same time knowing that there’s no real danger.

It’s also just pure fun to indulge our imaginations.

Today, when Judy and I arrived at Creative, everyone was having fun. Marta—in full costume herself—had placed Mr Thrifty, our resident skeleton who traditionally dresses in his skeleton outfit for Halloween, behind the Reception Desk.

Vian had a bow tie. Danielle was a unicorn. Someone else was a mouse. I haven’t had a chance to see the others yet—I had to run an errand.

It had felt so good to be in such a happy place.

I hope that you find this day as happy for you, your children, and your family. And that you can continue that happiness tomorrow, and the next day, and the next week, and on forever.

True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.

– Arthur Ashe

If you’re reading this, there’s a fair chance that you’re one of the heroes I’m writing about. If not, it’s almost certain that you know one of those heroes.

My childhood heroes were Duke Snider and Roy Rogers, reflecting my love for baseball and my ambition to become a cowboy. As I grew up I realized that I wasn’t going to become a great baseball player nor a famous singing cowboy. (Regarding the latter, I was already disillusioned when I found out from my grandfather that cowboys herded cattle.I thought their job was to shoot at and arrest bad guys.)

I don’t miss those heroes because over the last several years I’ve been fortunate enough to meet the true unsung heroes of the 21st century.

The way we choose to see the world creates the world we see

– Barry Neil Kaufman

There are a lot of these heroes. I doubt any of them has climbed the center field wall in Connie Mack Stadium to catch a fly ball, nor do I know any who opened a chain of restaurants. These are a different and more important kind of hero.

Crowds have not applauded them, nor have hungry consumers made them rich. These heroes have done far more than that.

These heroes face never ending challenges, long difficult days, difficult bureaucratic obstacles, most have given up vacations and other perks, many have given up necessities and made other sacrifices, and some make due with half their usual family income because they had to stop working.

They have become experts, advocates, spokes-people, supporters of each other.

Each of them demonstrates the wonder and power of unconditional love.

Since Judy and I founded Creative I’ve had the privilege of meeting with and getting to know thousands of these heroes.

Some of you are these heroes, though I know your modesty prevents you from thinking of yourself that way.

So I hope this tribute doesn’t embarrass you. I hope it inspires you, as you as you inspire me and all of us here at Creative.

You, the parents and caregivers of children with special needs, you are our heroes. And we’re lucky enough to be able to know you and work with you and serve you.

Thank you.

Behind every child who believes in himself is a parent who believed first

Reading, writing, arithmetic…are extremely complex processes that can develop only upon a strong foundation….

– A Jean Ayres, Ph. D.

I’m about to engage in a journey of discovery that will show you how we can best understand and help those children (and adults) who face the growing array of developmental and other neuro-physiological challenges.

If you join me you may be fascinated by the wisdom and insight of some of the greatest minds of the last several decades; you may nod in agreement or open your eyes wide to new concepts; and you may be gratified (or relieved) to know that every issue we raise will have a corresponding treatment.

Somewhere towards the end of my essays you will understand and appreciate the power and effectiveness of finding and treating root causes.

Treat the Child Not the Diagnosis

– Patricia Lemer

In the poignant book Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior
the authors (and brothers) Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman present a cautionary description of a medical tragedy stemming from Diagnosis Bias. The latter is the prejudicial and incorrect treatment of a client based on an unwavering and unjustified assumption of what is wrong and thus the (treatable) cause of the disorder.

While the hindsight seems obvious, the doctors in question were well meaning and were certain that they were helping. Their blind spot was the mental quirk that equates diagnoses that are categorizations of symptoms to treatable causes of those symptoms.

The way to avoid such errors is to explicitly and thoroughly determine root causes–what we call foundational issues. In pediatric special needs the diagnoses are typically descriptions of symptoms and rarely explanation of causes.

When I activate clients I try to convey this understanding, and because the root causes are usually (very) treatable, I encourage my clients to be cautiously optimistic.

Since co-founding Creative, I’ve been studying the findings of some of the greatest scientists and practitioners of the last several decades and I’ve come to appreciate the power and beauty of finding and treating the root causes–the foundational issues.

Indeed, as you learn about the foundational elements, a fascinating world reveals itself. I want to introduce that world to you.

Any child, no matter the diagnosis, should be seen as an integrated whole in terms of the many facets we as humans hold dear

– Maude Le Roux

I offer you a journey of discovery of human development that begins prior to the fourth month of conception and persists throughout life. I will show you a vista of concepts including primitive reflex integration, sensory processing, brain rhythm and timing, the role of emotion in human develop, praxis (how we learn), the power of music, the visual-vestibular-auditory triad, the role and importance of self-regulation, and perhaps more..

We live in a time of unprecedented challenges, perhaps the most important are the epidemic of childhood issues–autism, attention deficits, autoimmune disorders such as asthma, learning differences, attachment disorders, premature births, seizures, and on and on.

We live also in a time of unprecedented insight and capability. The people I’ve previously mentioned have provided us the insight and tools to prevail over those challenges. They include Doidge, Greenspan, Ayres, Kawar, Frick, Feldenkrais, Tomatis, Le Roux, May-Benson, Masgutova, and others. They have provided the foundational elements, the insights, and the modalities and methodologies.

We have the tools. Once we determine the underlying issues and causes, we can apply the tools appropriately and most effectively.

Thus begins our journey, a series of essays identifying foundational issues and the treatments to address them.

Is your family frequently disrupted by your child’s meltdowns? Does the school report that your child’s behaviors disrupt the classroom? Is your child angry, withdrawn, sad, clingy, or anxious?

Descriptions of Play Therapy sometimes begin with the famous Plato quote: you can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. As a fan of Plato, I enjoy his quotes as much as the next guy, but regarding Play Therapy, I don’t think the quote goes far enough. It’s not just about our discovery of the child, it’s also about the child’s self discovery.

I stumbled onto the significance of play early on in my parenting. It was a moment of deep insight to me—a young parent—when I realized that the toy tools to me were real tools to my son. I had thought of play as a way children pass time as they grow, toys as diversions. Now I had my first insight. It would take many years for me to understand just how much a child’s play was involved with their neuro-physiological development—and I still have more to learn.

My learning took a nice boost early this year when I met Sharon Lucas, LCSW. As we discussed clinical approaches, I was pleased and impressed with not only how much and how well Play Therapy meshed with our pediatric services, but also by how our philosophies and perspectives aligned. We seized the opportunity to add a powerful dimension to our service, dove-tailing with and extending our developmental neuro-physiological approach to incorporate unique cognitive and imaginative elements.

As always, whether and which therapies are appropriate and most effective is best answered by your therapist who will be working with the Creative Team behind the scenes.

If you are interested in Play Therapy, here is some detail provided by Sharon..

Play is a child’s natural language

Play therapy can help a child feel better from the inside

Play therapy can help improve behaviors on the outside

We provide Play Therapy that is child-centered and directive as needed to help children express their thoughts and feelings in a nurturing, validating, and safe space. Your child can process life challenges while exploring and practicing skills that help with self-regulation, self-mastery, problem-solving, and social skills. We coach parents and encourage and support their participation in their child’s therapy.

During Play Therapy your child has the opportunity to integrate and practice skills learned in allied modalities including occupational and speech therapies. Creative’s daily collaboration with customized and comprehensive treatment promotes optimal outcomes.

Toys are carefully selected so that children have the greatest chance of expressing themselves—

Neuroplasticity is the property of the brain that enables it to change its own structure and functioning in response to activity and mental experience1

Today, May 5, 2017, is the 10th anniversary of the publication of The Brain That Changes Itselfby Norman Doidge, a seminal and transformational introduction of brain neuroplasticity to a broad international audience. It has sold over one million copies and has been published in at least 19 different languages.

Prior to the work of Doidge and others in the last 20 to 30 years, most people believed in a static brain and the limitations of that model: once you reached adulthood, brain growth was complete, the wiring was permanent—fixed and unchanging, repair was limited, and there was no renewal. Irreplaceable neurons died one by one or in bunches. If you had a stroke or accident or other disease, then the damaged areas were lost forever. Regarding the permanent “wiring,” that notion was so firmly entrenched, its prejudice so prevalent, that even the idea that a blind person could develop greater sensitivity in the non visual senses was considered urban legend (despite massive anecdotal evidence to the contrary).

We see with our brains, not with our eyes

Norman Doidge was one of a select few that questioned the static brain orthodoxy. He not only challenged the notion but demonstrated that it was false and wrote two best sellers. His seminal The Brain That Changes Itself was transformational as it introduced neuroplasticity to millions of readers. His second book, The Brain’s Way of Healing puts the knowledge and insight of the first book to work with real world examples and further insights.

Those of you who have heard me wax philosophical may have heard me say “the human brain is the greatest organ in the universe.” To me the brain is great both in its capacity to understand and change the world and its versatility, resilience, and ability to change itself and to heal. What inspires me about the work of Doidge and others involved in neuroplasticity is their belief in the brain’s vast capacity and our capability to use that plasticity to transform ourselves.

Too many of our interventions are based on looking at symptoms and not nearly enough on what we might call pathogenesis – underlying causes

Norman Doidge has taken us to the leading edge of understanding that most remarkable organ. While his work begins with the brain, it spans all human neuro-physiology development—the whole person. It is a key supporting element of the treatments we provide here at Creative. For those with special needs who need help, Doidge has not only made the case for neuroplasticity and hope, but demonstrates the practical treatments that make use of it.

The brain is a far more open system than we ever imagined, and nature has gone very far to help us perceive and take in the world around us. It has given us a brain that survives in a changing world by changing itself.